In addition to adjusting our eating, we're also cracking down on our budget. We're saving up for a home when these adventurous military years are finally over, so every penny counts (as it does in most homes these days). I mention this because buying local, organic, beautiful produce, products and everything else is far easier if money is no object. Trust me, it's an object
for us. So I can't just waltz into the local health food store and buy out the place. I can't have an 8-foot commercial freezer delivered tomorrow with a side of grass-finished beef inside. I can't throw out everything in our home and start again (tempting though it may be sometimes). My guess is that most people can't do those things either. Besides, then we'd all just be on a roller coaster of recycling, composting and responsibly disposing of all our old stuff anyway. Since I won't be starting over, I'm trying to be responsible in what I bring into our home. Hopefully, with time and dedication, more stuff will be leaving our home than coming in soon.When it comes to food, that means planning meals and making a hard and fast shopping list. I've used a number of menu planning forms in the past. Franklin Covey offers a form with their paper planners, and the Motivated Moms cleaning calendar has one in the appendix. The best one I've found, however, is here. The meal planner and shopping list are in the same document, so I always have what I need, and all the forms on the site are free. "What?! You still kill trees printing out hard copies??" you ask. Yup, I sure do. I'm from the Great State of Maine, and trees are a renewable resource. The paper mills provide good jobs (if lousy air), and I recycle religiously. So yes, I'm a pen & paper kind of woman. You can download whatever works for you to your smartphone if you prefer. Speaking of downloads, DIYPlanner.com is in the process of upgrading servers as I'm writing this, so please be patient if the site is slow to load - it will be worth it!
My budget isn't the only thing tight around here - so are our pants. Specifically around the waist. My husband had very good success with a low-fat, low-carb diet a few years ago and wants to do it again now. If he's hiding any extra weight, I don't know where, but he's determined to diet anyway. In my case, my weight hasn't changed but my, er, demographics have. I'm now a bit more heavily represented in some districts than others.
I'd like for us all to eat
more healthfully, not only locally or organically, but more whole foods, perhaps a more flexitarian diet. I had seafood the other day and I'm pretty sure it was the first time my body had seen an omega-3. That's not good. I'm also leaning toward, dare I say it? Portion control. More on that touchy subject later. For now, suffice it to say my Dear Husband literally laughed in my face when I mentioned it.His diet strategy includes whole grains and veggies, but also a ton of commercial products with no fat, no cholesterol, and other scientifically engineered health claims. This is where it gets tricky. Take, for example, Egg Beaters egg substitutes. He loves them. I showed him how to use just egg whites instead, but he likes the convenience of the product and hates wasting the egg yolks. I finally got a grumble of agreement to ditch the fake eggs by pointing out that his health is more valuable than the yolks, and EB are just egg whites and a bunch of chemicals.
So here I am, with an empty fridge and a blank shopping list, trying to feed a family of four locally, sustainably, healthfully, low-carb and low-fat, and on a budget. And I'm sure I'm not alone. Even if these aren't your challenges exactly, every household has to work around a few issues. With a little planning, a little extra effort, determination and a touch of creativity we can tackle almost anything.
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